Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
CrisisManagementPlan
CrisisManagementTeam
AveryFaehling
EricaRopson
BryanKonicek
DylanBuboltz
BenjaminKoenigs
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction
CompanyOverview
NoteFromTheCEO
RamsGoldenValues
CrisisManagementTeam
CrisisManagementTeamContactList
CrisisControlCenter
Stakeholder/AudienceAnalysis
StakeholderContactList
15
RehearsalSchedule
17
Incidentreport1
18
Incidentreport2
19
Incidentreport3
20
Incidentreport4
21
RiskManagementGrid
22
BangForBuckAudienceCommunication
26
Personnel
26
Information
28
Criminal
30
NaturalDisasters
32
Economic
34
Physical
36
Reputation
38
CrisisFlowChart
40
Likelihood&DamageGraphs
41
QuestionandAnswerPreparation
51
Background
53
FactSheet
54
WorksCited
55
AppendixA100Facts
57
Introduction
Nomatterthelocationandadversitythatisbroughtoutway,theLosAngelesRamsare
alwayspreparedandplantoexecuteproperlywhentheunexpectedarises.Ourorganization
valueseverybrandandindividualthatweencountersomethingwehavedonesincewewere
foundedin1936.Westrivetomaintainstrongandpositiverelationships,awinningatmosphere,
anentertainingfootballteamthatunitespeople,andanunforgettableexperienceforallfans.
CompanyOverview
WhentheRamswerefirstfoundedbackin1936,HomerMarshmanandDamonWetzel
hadawinningmentalitythatcarriedoverthroughoutthehistoryofthefranchise.Theychoose
theRamsbecauseitwasshortandwouldfitinanewspaperheadline.TheRamsstartedin
Clevelandwheretheyfoundtheirfirstchampionshipin1945,oneseasonpriortotheirmoveto
LosAngelesin1946.
In1995,theRamsmadethemovetoSt.Louisandthefornext21seasons,theyfound
successbycapturingtheteam'sfirstSuperBowlintheyear1999,wheretheydefeatedthe
TennesseeTitansliterallybyoneyard.TheyhavealsomadeSuperBowlappearancesin1979
and2001.
TheRamsmadetheirwaybacktoLosAngelesafterthe2015seasonwherefansinLos
Angeleswelcomedbacktheirteamwithopenarms.T
heRamswillplaytheirhomegamesatthe
LosAngelesMemorialColiseum
,whichhadbeenhometotheteamfor33seasons,untiltheLos
AngelesEntertainmentCenterisreadyforuse.
WhenfansthinkoftheRamshistory,nameslike,KurtWarner,EricDickerson,Deacon
Jones,JackYoungblood,theythinkofthegreatnesstheRamshasbroughttotheNFLsinceits
inauguralseasonin1937.WhethertheyareinCleveland,St.Louis,orLosAngelesfanswillfeel
the
impactofthepassionthatresonatesfromtheplayers,coachesandanyoneapartofthis
fantasticfootballteam.
ContactUsAt:
LosAngelesRams
OneRamsWay
LosAngeles,CA90001
3149827267
NoteFromTheCEO
April19,2016
ToLosAngelesRamsemployees:
Thefollowingplanistobereaduponitsarrivaltoyouconsideringhowcrucialitistoor
successgoingforward.Theensuingpagesarerelatedtoeveryemployeeduetotheneedfora
teameffortwhenacrisisistohitourvaluedorganization.Acrisiscanoccurmultiplewayssuch
as:naturaldisaster,personnel,physical,criminal,informational,reputational,andeconomic.A
crisiscanalsoimpacttheLosAngelesRamsbothinternallyasateamorexternallythroughour
publics,andwevaluebothsidesoftheorganizationagreatdeal.
TheLosAngelesRamsareafamilythathasastoriedhistoryofinvaluableteamworkto
helponeanothersucceedforalargergoal.Becauseourorganizationbelievesstronglyin
continuousimprovement,weareconfidentthattakingthisstepwillensureamoresustainable
futureforourorganizationandimproveouractionswhenacrisishits.Itisimportanttobe
preparedforacrisisinallsituations,aroundanypeople,oratanytimeorplace.Acrisisplan
allowsourorganizationtocombatsuchanoccurrencetothebestofourability.Itiswithmy
greatesthopethatyouwillembracethefollowingcrisismanagementprocedurestohelpour
belovedorganizationprosperandtakeadvantageofcountlessopportunitiesinthefuture.
KindRegards,
AveryFaehling
ChiefExecutiveOfficer
RamsGoldenValues
RESPONSIBILITY
TheNFLsLosAngelesRamsisdedicatedtoprovidingfansandviewerswiththe
mostentertainingsportsexperiencepossible.
INTEGRITY
Westriveforhonesty,respect,andthehighestsenseofintegrityasmembersof
theLosAngelescommunity.
LEADERSHIP
Ourorganization'smembersareexpectedtobeleadersandrolemodelsinevery
communitytheytouch.
COMMUNITY
SupportingLosAngeles,thecommunitieswevisit,andourworldwidefans
throughcauses,volunteerism,programs,andcharities.
RESPECT
Wepracticegood,competitivesportsmanship,honorhardworkandcommitment
andembracediversity.
EXCELLENCE
Welooktoputourorganizationinapositionwheresuccesscanbeattainableand
reachableeverydayonthefieldandinthecommunity.
LOYALTY
Wecontinuouslysupportoneanotherandstrivetomeettheneedsofourfans
andemployees.
EQUALITY
Nomattertitle,status,norgender,theLosAngelesRamsprovideequal
opportunitiestoeverymemberoftheLosAngelesRamsfamily.
SAFETY
Thesafetyofourfans,players,andemployeesisoneofourutmostvalues.We
strivetocontinuouslyimproveoursafetyproceduresandproperlyimplement
safetyrulesasprovidedbytheNationalFootballLeague.
CrisisManagementTeam
AveryFaehling
ChiefExecutiveOfficer
Averygrewupafanexperiencingmanygenerationsoftheteamandbecameamemberof
theRamsorganizationthroughvariouspositionsinthebusinessandadministrations
department.AveryholdsanMBAfromPurdueuniversity.Hebelievesthekeytoevery
businessisthinkingstrategically,communicatingeffectively,andprovidingthebestbang
forthebuck.
EricaRopson
PublicRelationsManager
Ericaistheheartandsoleofconnectingourorganizationtothefans,media,andworld
widepublic.Shehasapassionforbuildingmemoriesandrelationshipsthatwilllastour
fanbasealifetime.Ericahandlesallmediainquiriesandbehindthescenefan
experiences.ShehasanMBAinsportsmarketingfromNorthwesternUniversity.
BryanKonicek
ChiefofSecurity
BryanisresponsibleforthesafetyandsecurityoftheLosAngelesRamsorganization.
Thisincludesthesafetyandsecurityofallteamfacilities,staff,personnel,andsponsored
events.Heisinchargeofallhiredsecurity,andeventstaffmembers.Bryanworksto
ensurethattheorganizationhasasmooth,safe,andsecuretransitionintothecityofLos
Angelesandanyothervisitingcities.Bryanisaformermemberofaprivatesecurityfirm,
thatworksfortheStateofCalifornia'sgovernment.Hehasabachelor'sdegreeinCriminal
JusticeStudiesfromCalifornia
StateUniversity.
BenjaminKoenigs
LegalAdvisorandVictimAdvocate
IftherearetwothingsBenjaminispassionateabout,itsfootballandjustice.Obtaining
hismastersinlawfromHarvard,heknewhistalentscouldgofar.Hestartedhislegal
careeratBenjarvusGreenEllislawfirmwhereheexcelled.HetookhistalentstoNFL
wherehehelpedouttheWashingtonRedskins,NewEnglandPatriots,andSan
Francisco49ersduringhistenyearcareerbeforefinallycomingtoLosAngeles.
DylanBuboltz
ChiefOperationsManager
DylanhasbeentheDirectoroftheLosAngelesRamssince2015afterspendingthe
previous3yearsastheAssistantDirectorofOperationsoftheIndianapolisColts.Dylan
holdaCommunicationdegreefromtheUniversityofWisconsinGreenBay.Nothing
happenswithinthefacilitywithouthisapproval,knowledgeandconsent.Dylanknows
howtocommunicatestrategicallywithmembersoftheorganization,thefanbase,andis
trulyagreatassettotheLosAngelesRamsfamily.
CrisisManagementTeamContactList
AveryFaehling
ChiefExecutiveOfficer
(715)6974590
Email:faehaj14@uwgb.edu
EricaRopson
PubicRelationsManager
(920)6763571
Email:ropsel06@uwgb.edu
BryanKonicek
ChiefofSecurity
(715)4991226
Email:konibj27@uwgb.edu
DylanBuboltz
DirectorofOperations
(920)4183361
Email:bubodm18@uwgb.edu
BenjaminKoenigs
Legal/VictimAdvisor
(920)8383870
Email:benjaminkoenigs@gmail.com
CrisisControlCenter
CRISISCONTROLCENTER#1
EricaRopson
224ElkCourt
GreenBay,WI54302
Amenities:WiFi,Laptops,Chairs,Couch,TV,Radio,Fridge,Freezer,Microwave,Emergency
Exit,Restroom,andaWhiteboard.
8
CRISISCONTROLCENTER#2
3294NorthCircleDrive
GreenBay,WI54311
Amenities:WiFi,Laptops,5Dr.SoWhatWhiteboards,Chairs,Couch,TV,Fridge,Freezer,
Oven,Stove,Restroom,EmergencyExit,andameetingtable.
Stakeholder/AudienceAnalysis
Audience
Know
Infer
Shoulddo
ShouldntDo
CityofLA
residents
(Primary)
BigCity,Big
fanbase
Decisions
with
organization
willaffect
millionsof
people
Bequickin
communicatin
gmessages
withefficient
platforms
Leavethem
outofthe
loopandhear
newsfrom
outside
sources
Ramsfansin
andoutof
LosAngeles
(Primary)
Bigfanbase
Loyalfan
base
throughout
Californiaand
UnitedStates
Provide
uptodate
information
andbest
footballteam
possible
Leavethem
questioning
andcreatinga
negative
perspective
New
Community
Partners
(Primary)
Help
representthe
LosAngeles
Rams
organization
Willassistin
anyevent
theyareable
to
Maintain
strong
relationships
andprovide
many
incentives
Ignorethem
whentheyare
inneedof
assistanceto
promote
events
New
Sponsors
(Primary)
Playarolein
theoverall
organization
image
Would
maintaina
positive
image
Maintain
strong,
positive
relationship
and
incentives
Shunaway
whentheyre
inneedof
assistance
Media
(Primary)
Hugemedia
presencein
LosAngeles
Reliable
sourcetobe
dependedon
fromsmaller
markets
Behonest
andmaintain
astrong
relationship
Sweep
potentials
problems
underthe
mat
Employees
(Primary)
Manyworkers Organization
decisions
couldimpact
them
Keepthem
informedand
intheloop
Lackof
communicatio
n
10
Shareholders
(Primary)
Theyhave
money
Investedin
theteam
Keepthemin
theloop
Disassociate
Government
(Primary)
Createthe
laws
LARamswill
followtheir
procedures
Keep
uptodate
withpolicies
and
procedures
Assumethat
whatthe
organization
isdoingis
following
laws
NFL
(Secondary
Ramsarea
partofthe
NFL
Follow
policiesand
procedures
putinplace
byNFL
Complywith
NFLandkeep
strong
relationship
Keepthem
outofthe
loopandput
thema
situationthey
wouldnotbe
preparedto
defend
OtherNFL
teams/fan
bases
(Secondary)
Partofthe
NFLinsome
way
Follow/watch
theRams
Create
relationships
Forgetthat
theycan
generate
viewsand
opinions
Nearby
business
aroundnew
stadiumand
temporary
stadium
(Marginal)
Locatedina
busyand
populated
partofLos
Angeles
Lotsoftraffic
willgenerate
onadaily
basis
Create
relationships
andpotential
sponsors/part
ners
Beina
position
where
negative
publicity
occuraround
their
buildings
Whendeterminingtherightapproachtosolvingacrisisinanorganization,itisvitalthat
theorganizationproperlyidentifiestheirtargetaudiencesandpublicsandseparatethem
accordingly.Theseaudiencesareusuallyseparatedintoprimaryaudiences,secondaryaudiences,
andmarginalaudiences.
11
Tobeginwithprimaryaudiences,oneprimaryaudiencefortheLosAngelesRamsare
theresidentsofLosAngeles.WeknowthatLosAngelesisabigcity,abigmarket,andtherefore
alargefanbase.Withthis,wecaninferthatthedecisionsmadebytheLosAngelesRams
organizationwillhaveanimpactonmillionsofpeople.WiththisinformationtheLosAngeles
Ramsshouldrelayandcommunicateinformationabouttheteamandthecityinanefficient
mannerandusingtherightchannelsandplatforms.Withthis,theLosAngelesRamsshouldnot
keeptheresidentsoutoftheloopandhavethembedependentonoutsidesourcesfroma
differentmarkettogetinformationabouttheirownteam.
AnotherprimaryaudiencefortheLosAngelesRamsistheirfanbaseinLosAngelesand
outsideofLosAngeles.WeknowwithLosAngelesbeingabigcitythattheyhavealargefan
baseinLosAngelesandcangeneratearelativelylargefanbaseoutsideLosAngeles.Withthis,
wecaninferthatthereindeedisalargefanbasethroughoutLosAngeles,California,andthe
UnitedStates.Withthis,weshouldprovidethelargefanbasewiththebestuptodate
informationaswellasawinningfootballteam,especiallywithLosAngeleshavingabigmarket
andtheopportunitytohaveabiggersalarycap.Weshouldntleavethefanbasequestioning
aboutourpresenceandleavinganopportunityforthefanbasetohaveanegativeperspectiveon
ourorganization.
AnotherprimaryaudienceisthecommunitypartnersoftheLosAngelesRams.Weknow
thatthisaudiencehelpsrepresenttheLosAngelesRamsorganizationandplaysapartofits
image.Withthis,wecaninferthatthecommunitypartnersarewillingtohelpandassistour
organizationwhenweneedthemto.Asaresult,weshouldmaintainastrongrelationshipwith
eachpartnerandprovideincentivestorewardthemfortheirdedicationandtheirstrongwork
12
ethic.Weshouldn'tignoreourcommunitypartnerswhentheyareinneedofourassistance.Their
roleasapartnerisvaluabletoourorganization.
AnotherprimaryaudienceisthesponsorsoftheLosAngelesRams.Weknowthatthe
sponsors,likethecommunitypartners,alsoplayaroleintheoverallbrandandimageoftheLos
AngelesRamsorganization.Wecaninferthattheywoulddotheirhardestandworktheirbestto
keepapositiveimageofourbrandtogowiththeirbrand.Withthisinformation,weshould,like
thecommunitypartners,maintainastrongrelationshipwithoursponsorsandprovidethem
incentivesandopportunitiestoconsistentlybeapartofourfamily.Weshouldntshunour
sponsorsawaywhentheyneedourassistance.
Anotherprimaryaudienceisthemedia.Weknowthatwithalargepopulationandmarket
thatthereisgoingtobealargemediapresenceforourorganization.Wecaninferthatourmedia
needstoactasareliablemediasourceforsmallermediamarketswithintherestofthecountry.
Withthisinformation,weshouldbehonestwithourmediawhenansweringquestionsaboutthe
organizationandmaintainastrongrelationship.Weshouldntsweeppotentialproblemsunder
thematandputthemediainapositionwheretheywouldinterprettheinformationwrongand
putthewronginformationouttothegeneralpublic.
AnotherprimaryaudienceistheemployeesoftheLosAngelesRams.Weknowthereis
alotofemployeesoftheLosAngelesRamsthatwouldbefulltime,parttime,andseasonal.We
caninferthatanydecisionthatourorganizationmakescouldhaveapotentialimpactonthese
workers.Withthisinformation,weshouldalwayskeepouremployeesinformedandintheloop
ofthings.Itisourjobandtheirrighttobeawareofwhatisgoingonintheirplaceof
13
employment.Weshouldnthavealackofcommunicationwithouremployeesandleavethem
dazed,confused,andwonderingiftheirjobsaregoingtobesecureoraffected.
AnotherprimaryaudienceistheshareholdersoftheLosAngelesRams.Weknowthat
thesearetheindividual(s)thatinvestmoneyandalotofitintotheorganization.Wecaninfer
thatwiththismoney,theyareallinfortheteamandareinvestedintheteam.Withthis
information,weshouldalwayskeepthemintheloopofnecessaryinformationandprovidethem
withasuccessfulteamtoshowappreciationfortheirhardwork.Weshouldntdisassociate
ourselvesfromthem.Theydeservetoknowwhatisgoingoninourdaytodayoperations.
ThefinalprimaryaudienceisthegovernmentofCalifornia.Weknowthatthe
governmentaretheonesthatcreateourlawsandprovidealayoutofwhatwecanandcantdo.
Wecaninferthatthedecisionstheymakethatwouldimpactourorganizationwouldbeforthe
bestinterestsofallaudiences.Withthisinformation,weshouldfollowtheirproceduresand
alwaysstayuptodatewithanypossiblepolicychanges.Weshouldavoidnewprocedureand
policiessincetheycouldhaveanimpactonourorganizationandourfans.
OnesecondaryaudiencefortheLosAngelesRamsistheNationalFootballLeague.We
knowthatourorganizationisoneofthirtytwomembersoftheNationalFootballLeague.We
caninferthatwewillfollowalloftheNationalFootballLeaguepoliciesandprocedures.With
thisinformation,weshouldconsistentlycomplywiththeNFLandmaintainastrong,positive
relationshipwiththematalltimes.WeshouldntkeeptheNFLguessingandoutoftheloop.We
dontwanttoputtheminapositiontodefendusaboutacrisisthattheyarenotfamiliarwith.
ThesecondprimaryaudiencefortheLosAngelesRamsisotherNFLfranchisesandfan
bases.Weknowthatthesegroupsarefamiliarwithourorganization.Wecaninferthattheyat
14
leastwatchourfootballteamattimesandfollowourteaminsomeway.Withthisinformation,
weshouldcreaterelationshipswiththeseaudiences.Weshouldntforgetthatwhiletheymaynot
haveasignificantroleinourfamily,theystillcangenerateanopinionaboutourorganization.
OuronlymarginalaudiencefortheLosAngelesRamsisnearbybusinessesatthenew
stadiumandtemporarystadium.Weknowthatthesebusinessesarelocatedinabusyareasof
LosAngeles.Wecaninferthattherewillbealotoftrafficcomingbythesebusinessesona
dailybasis.Withthisinformation,weshouldworktocreateapositiverelationshipwiththese
businesses.Weshouldntputourselvesinanegativespotlightorsituationasthiscouldimpact
theirbusinessesaswell.
15
StakeholderContactList
GeneralMediaandInformation
LosAngelesMayorEricGarcetti
12139780600
mayor.garcetti@lacity.org
LosAngelesTimes
(213)2375000
(714)9664600(BusinessOffice)
(714)9664699(MainNewsRoom)
(714)9664612,DavidCarrilloPenaloza,SportsWriter
(714)9664614,MattSzabo,SportsWriter
(714)9664614,MikeSciacca,SportsWriter
LosAngelesDailyNews
(818)7133000
(818)7133607(GeneralSportsLine)
(818)7133545(SportsFax)
(818)7133607,MarkWhicker,SportsColumnist
mark.whicker@langnews.com
(818)7133607,VincentBonsignore,SportsColumnist
vincent.bonsignore@dailynews.com
8187133607,TomHoffarth,SportsColumnist
thomas.hoffarth@dailynew.com
LosAngelesPoliceDepartment(ChiefCharlieBeck)
Emergency911
NonEmergency877ASKLAPD
TerroristThreats18772847328
LosAngelesFireDepartment
GeneralPublicInformation(213)9783800
RoutineMediaInquiriesandInterviewRequests(213)9783820
BreakingNewsandEmergencyIncident(213)4855162
NFLMediaInformation
ESPNHeadquarters
18607662000
NFLCorporateHeadquarters
16
12124502000
NFLNetwork
(310)8404635
NationalHotlines
FBI
(310)4776565
NationalDomesticViolenceHotline
18007997233
NationalDrugAbuseandAddictionHotline
18887440069
NationalSuicidePreventionHotline
18002738255
Partners
BudLight
DirectSpeaking18003425283
Emaillink:
http://contactus.anheuserbusch.com/contactus/Budlight/contact_us.asp
CommunityPrograms
AmericanRedCross
3104459900
Play60
https://www.fueluptoplay60.com/about/contactus
MakeAWish
3107889474
TasteoftheNFL
9528357621
Government
GovernorEdmundBrown
9164452841(Phone)
9165583160(Fax)
LieutenantGovernorGavinNewsom
9164458994(Phone)
SecretaryofStateHon.AlexPadilla
9166536814(Phone)
17
AttorneyGeneralKamalaHarris
9162273287(Phone)
9162275054(Fax)
CaliforniaStateDepartmentofIndustrialRelations
18445226734(Communicationstollfree)
DIRInfo@dir.ca.gov
RehearsalSchedule
th th
OverviewTraining:
April4
5
2016@9amNoon
InMeetingRoomA
AllmanagersrequiredtoattendLeadbyCrisisTeam
th
CrisisSimulation1:
April12
2016@9amNoon
InMeetingRoomA
AllmanagersandCrisisTeam
th
CrisisSimulation2:
April19
2016@9amNoon
InMeetingRoomA
AllmanagersandCrisisTeam
th
CrisisTraining:
April20
2016@9amNoon
InMeetingRoomA
Allemployeeswillberequiredtoattend1trainingsession,willbenotifiedbysupervisorasto
whichsessiontoattend.
CrisisTeamSignaturesofCompletion
_____________________________________
AveryFaehling(CEO)EricaRopson(PRManager)
_____________________________________
BryanKonicek(ChiefofSecurity)DylanBuboltz(COO)
__________________
BenjaminKoenigs(Legal/VictimAdvisor)
18
Incidentreport1
19
Incidentreport2
20
Incidentreport3
21
Incidentreport4
22
RiskManagementGrid
Inordertoprepareforcrisesandbettermanagethem,ourteamcreatedthisrisk
managementgrid.Thisgridbreaksdownpotentialcrisesintodifferentcategories.Thesearethe
categories:personnel,information,naturaldisaster,economic,criminal,physical,andlastly,
reputationcrises.Bymappingthesescenariosout,ourteamwillbeabletograsptheproblemsat
23
handandwillbeabletotakemoreefficientstepstomovingthecrisisintoamorecontrollable
andobservablestate.
Thefirstcategorywegraphedoutarepersonnelcrises.Thesebreakdownintothree
separatecategories.Personnel1onthegraphrepresentsstrikes,violence,andworkplace
violence.Wedeterminedthatviolenceandviolentactscanbequicklycontrolledandshutdown
withstrictpoliciesandapreventativeculturewithintheorganization.Howevertheycanbe
difficulttoobserve.Strikesoftenrevolvearoundissuesthatcanbenegotiated,andresolved.
Theyareobservableevents,thatwithconstructiveconversationsandopencommunicationcan
becontrolledandputtoanend.Personnel2crisesareontheoppositesideofthegraph,andare
farmoreunobservableanduncontrollable.Thesecasesareonesofabuse,domesticabuse,child
abuse,andsexualabuse.Thesecasesoftentimesgounseenandunnoticed.Theyareactsof
violencethathavelastingimpactsonorganizations.Theyareincidentsthatpeoplearenotaware
ofuntiltheyhavealreadyhappened,andthisiswhywehavegraphedthemintheupperright
handcorner.
Personnel3crises,arecategorizedandgraphedascasesofracialorotherformsof
discrimination.Thesearecasesthatareoftenobservableasracialorotherdiscriminatoryactsor
statementsthataremadeinpublicforumsagainstothers.However,theseactionsareoften
difficulttocontrolastheyarebasedonpersonalandstrongbeliefs.People'sactionsaremore
controllablewithrepercussionsanddisciplinaryactions,howeverhowpeoplethink,andwhat
theybelievecanbeverydifferent.
Belowpersonnel3onthegrapharecriminalcrises.Theseareeventsthatinvolve,drugs,
weaponsorotherillegalactivitiesthatareoftengoingonwithoutanyonenoticing.Theseare
24
activitiesthatareoftenunobservable,unlessthingsgowrongandsomeoneiscaught.Criminal
casesarealsonotcontrollableastheytakeplaceawayfromthestructureandcontrolof
organizationsandtheirculture.Theseactionsarenotrepresentativeofthewholeteamandare
graphedinawaythatrepresentsthis.
Nextarereputationcrises.Theseareincidentsthatdirectlyaffectshareholdersandhow
outsideaudiencesperceivetheorganization.Theseinvolvethingslikerumors,accusations,and
damagedrelationshipswithstockholders.Theseproblemsoftenstemfromoutsideattacksthan
canbedifficulttoobserve,butwithswiftaction,factualcounterstatementsandintentional
actions,theycanbecontrolled.Thiscategoryischartedalmostdirectlyinthemiddleofthe
graphasthesecrisesvarydependingontheseverityoftherumors,oractionsmadebyan
organizationagainsttheircorevaluesandshareholders.
Thenextcategoryiseconomiccrises.Thesescenariosareoftenuncontrollableasthey
usuallyinvolvefinancialactionslegal,orillegalthatcannotbeundoneoncetheyhappen.These
canincludetaxevasion,fraud,bribes,embezzlement,andlargerissueslikebankruptcy.The
illegalcrisesareusuallyhiddenawayandwillresultinvestigationsandlegalactions.Thelarger
decisionssuchasbankruptcyaremoreobservable,butthiscrisisislesscommonthantheillegal
actionsthattakeplacewhichiswhythiscategoryremainsclosertothemidlineofobservable
andunobservable.
Aftereconomiccrises,comesinformationcriseswhicharelocatedjusttotherightof
economiccrisesonthegraph.Thesecrisesarelesscontrollableandequallyunobservable.They
involveleaksofinformation,thehackingofinformation,socialmediacrises,theftandtampering
orstealingofotherteamdataandinformation.Thesehacksandleaksarelikelytobeisolated
25
incidentscomingfromhiddenandhardtoobservepeople.Thismakesthemhardtoobserve.
Also,oncethedatahasbeensentortaken,itishardtocontrolwhatisthendonewithitbecause
itisoftenlinkedandsentthroughtheinternetandotherdigitaloutlets.
Secondtolastarephysicalcrises.Theseinvolveaphysicalproductfailureliketeam
equipmentmalfunctioningoracrisisinvolvingastadium.Theseareveryobservablebutoften
involvelargerscaleeventsthatarenotcontrollable.Alsoincludedintheseareaccidents.These
areobservablebutnotcontrollable.Theyhappeninallindustriesandasanorganization,even
themostpreventativemeasuresandstepscannotpreventthemfromoccurring.Thelastcategory
onthegraphisnaturaldisasters.Thesearehighlyobservable,withuncontrollableresults.Mother
naturecanwreakhavoconanyoneatanytime.Thedirectresultsanddamagecannotbe
controlledbuttheplanstomoveforwardfromthedisasteriswhatcounts.Thisgraphgivesour
teamahandleonfutureproblemsandcrisesandhowtomanagethem.
26
BangForBuckAudienceCommunication
Personnel
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
27
Employees
Shareholders
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Inapersonnelcrisis,thefirstareasofthecrisisteamtocontactarethepublicrelations
manager,chiefofsecurity,andtheCEOtobettercombatandunderstandwhysuchinternal
crisesaretakingplaceandhowtocontainthesituationandimprovethebrandculture.
TheresidentsofLosAngeleswanttoknowmostofallofwhathappened.Theyaretheones
intriguesbythesituationandtopossiblycreateopinion.ThefansoftheLosAngelesRamsare
mostconcernedaboutwhowasinvolved.Wasitsomeoneintheorganization?Wasitaplayer?
Wasitacoach?Thecommunitypartnersarealsoconcernedmostaboutwhathappenedand
whatisbeingdonetosolvethecrisis.Theyhavebuildarelationshipwiththeorganizationand
theirbrandcouldalsobeaffectedsincetheyareaffiliatedwiththeRams.Thesponsorsarein
thesamesituationasthecommunitypartners,Theirbrandispossiblyinquestionforbeing
affiliatedwiththeorganization.Themediawantstoknowmostofallwhythiscrisisoccurred.
Theyhavethedutytoinformthegeneralpublicofthesituation.Theemployeesaremost
concernedabouthowthecrisisisbeinghandled.Willtheirjobsbeinjeopardy?Willtheylosea
coworker?Theshareholdersshouldbemostconcernedaboutwhowasinvolved.Theyarethe
audiencewiththemoneyanditistheirreputationthatispossiblyatstake.Thegovernment
shouldbemostconcernedaboutwhythiscrisistookplace.Whywastherelawsbrokenam
violated?TheNFLismostconcernedaboutwhoisinvolved.Itcouldbeoneoftheirowners.If
theyknowwhoisinvolved,theycantaketheappropriateaction.OtherNFLteam/fanbasesare
28
mostconcernedaboutwhathappened.Theyareintriguedinwhatisalsobeingdoneandifthey
aregoingtobeaffectedinanway.Nearbybusinesses,likethefanbasesandteams,arealso
concernedaboutwhathappenedandwhatisbeingdone.Theywanttoknowiftheirbusinesses
aregoingtobeaffected.
Information
Primary:
29
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
Employees
Shareholders
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Inaninformationcrisis,managingtheinformationduringandafterthecrisisiscritical.Not
havinginformationundercontrolcoulddirectlyinfluencethepublicsperceptionaboutthe
organization.ThefirststepwhenhandlingandinformationcrisisistocontactthePublic
RelationsManager,theChiefofOperationsManager,andtheCEO.PRmanagerwillprepareto
addressthemediaandwhowillbeaddressingthemedia.ChiefofOperationsManagerwill
makeinternaldecisionsaswellassomeexternal,andtheCEOwillneedconstantupdateson
thesituationandwhathisrolewillbeduringthisprocess.theThecityofLAresidents,
communitypartners,sponsors,government,otherNFLteams/fanbases,andnearby
businessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadiumaregoingtowanttoknow
whattheorganizationplanstodoaboutthesituationandtheinformationthathasnowbeen
madepublic.PeoplewhoareidentifywiththeorganizationsuchasRamsfansandemployees
willbemoreconcernedaboutwhoisresponsiblefortheinformationcrisis.Shareholdersand
theNFLwillwanttoknowwhythisincidenthappened.Shareholderswillneedextra
reassurancebecausethisteamisaninvestmenttothemandtheywillneedtofeelliketheycan
trusttheorganization.TheNFLhastheirownreputationtoprotect,sotheytoowillwanttoknow
30
whythisincidenthappenedandalsobeassuredthatthiswillneverhappenagain.Considering
themediawillbetheonesatthepressconference,theywillwanttoknowhowtheorganization
plansonhandlingthesituationnowthatinformationhasbeenleakedandhowweplanto
recover.
Criminal
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
31
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
Employees
Shareholders
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Inacriminalcrisis,releasingthecorrectinformationiskey.FortheCrisisManagementTeam,it
willbeallhandsondeck.ChiefofSecuritywillworkverycloselywithourLegalAdvisor/Victims
Managerdependingonwhatthecriminalactionconsistedof.TheCEO,PublicRelations
Manager,andChiefofOperationswillpreparetoaddressthemediaandpreparetorelease
messagesonotherchannels,ifneedbe.Eachaspecthasanequalamountofimportanceto
controlthecrisis.Fans,localgovernment,andcommunitypartnersmayaskwhofordifferent
reasons.Fanswanttoknowwhocommittedthecrimebecausetheywanttoknowhowthatwill
affecttheteammovingforward.Governmentwanttoknowwhodiditsotheymaybeginningthe
punishmentprocess.Partnerswanttoknowwhotomakesuretheyarentsponsoringatroubled
player.OtherNFLteamswanttoknowwhodidthecrimeforscoutingpurposes.TheCityofLA,
Media,Employees,andShareholderswanttoknowwhathappenedandwhatstepsarebeing
takentopreventthisfromhappeningeveragain.TheNFLandSponsorswanttoknowwhythis
happenedsincetheymaybelosingmoneyfromcustomers.Nearbybusinesseswanttomake
suretheincidentdidnthappenintheareaoftheirbusiness.
32
NaturalDisasters
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
Employees
Shareholders
33
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Whenconsideringabangforthebuckreactiontoanaturaldisastercrises,itisimportanttonote
theoveralldamagethatoccurredtothethestructuresofteamandorganizationbuildingsand
thevictimsofthesituation.Inanaturaldisastersituation,fortheCrisisManagementTeam,it
willbeallhandsondeck.TheCEOandPublicRelationsManagerwillprepareforexternal
communicationtoallaudience.TheChiefofOperationswillberesponsibleforinternal
communicationaswellasmakeanydecisionsregardingthestadiumandstadiumprocedures.
OurLegalAdvisor/VictimsManagerwillassessourliabilitiesandtendtotheneedsofthe
victims(ifany)andtheirfamilies.TheChiefofSecuritywillputournaturaldisastercrisisplan
intoeffectandwillfileareportontheincident.Thecrisisreactionchangesfordifferent
audiences.ForthecityofLAanditsresidents,thebiggestconcerniswherethedisastertook
placeandtheareasofthecitythatwereaffected.Anotherstrategythatshouldbeusedfora
numberofaudiencessuchas:fans,Sponsors,employees,shareholders,theleague,local
government,andotherNFLteamsandtheirfansisawhat/howstrategy.Thisstrategy
highlightstheeventsthathaveoccurred,includingthedamagethathasbeendone,andoutlines
theorganization'splanstomoveforwardthroughthecrisis.Lastlyisawhostrategythat
highlightswhohasbeeninvolvedwiththeincident.Inthiscase,itwouldbewhowasaffectedby
thedisaster,witheitherinjuriesorlossoflife.Thiswouldbeinformationpassedontothemedia
tohelpfamilieskeeptrackoftheirlovedonesandkeepthecommunityunitedtogether.
34
Economic
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
Employees
35
Shareholders
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Inaneconomiccrisis,itiscriticaltoassurethesponsors,shareholders,andcommunitypartners
understandwhythecrisishappenedandthatitwillberesolvedinatimelymannerwhilealso
keepingthemconfidentinthecompanyasawhole.TheCrisisManagementteammembersthat
wouldbeneededduringthistypeofcrisiswouldbetheCEO,ChiefofOperations,Public
RelationsManager,anddependingonthecircumstances,theLegalAdvisor.Wefeelthese
specificaudiencesarethemostimportantsincetheyhavemoneyinvestedintothecompany.
Theywouldliketoknowwhythishappened,andwhyweallowedittobebeyondourcontrol.It
wouldbewisetoshowprooftotheseaudiencestheRamscanbefinancialstableandthattheir
moneyisingoodhands.TheCityofLA,Fans,Media,andGovernmentwouldbemore
concernedonwhathappenedandhowithappened.Thoughitmaynotaffectthemfinancially,it
wouldstillbebeneficialtomakesureeveryaudienceisawareofthesituation.TheNFLalso
sharesthesameconcernthatthesponsors,shareholders,andpartnershavewiththecrisis
basedonthepotentialoflosingmoney.OtherNFLTeamsandNearbyBusinesseswantto
knowwhathappened.NFLteamsobservethesituationtomakesuretheydonotfallunderthe
samecrisis,whilelocalbusinesseswillobservetomakesureitishappeningtotheRamsand
nototherbusinessesinthearea.
36
Physical
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
37
Employees
Shareholders
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Ifaphysicalcrisisistooccuritisvitaltoourrecoverythattheentirecrisisteamisnotifiedand
thatalllegal,safety,andvictimconcernsareexamined.Themostimportantconcerninthis
crisiswillbetofindoutwhatthecauseofthephysicalcrisisis,andhowitcanbecontained.
Dependingontheseverityofthephysicalcrisis,astatementmaysufficeifitistoalesser
degree,whileapressconferencewouldbemorebeneficialformoresevereorquestionable
crises.Aconstantprocedurethatneedstobeaddressedinallphysicalcrisesiswhatisbeingto
safeguardagainstasimilarcrisisinthefuture.Oncesuchsafeguardsandplansareset,itis
importanttomaintainafocusonhowtheorganizationwillhelpvictimsrecover.Finally,aswith
allcrises,itisfundamentaltoupdateaudiencesasnewprocessesandrecoveryeffortstake
placetoevokeasenseofsafetyforfutureinteractionswithourorganization.
38
Reputation
Primary:
CityofLAResidents
RamsFans
CommunityPartners
Sponsors
Media
Employees
Shareholders
39
Government
Secondary:
NFL
Marginal:
OtherNFLTeams/FanBases
Nearbybusinessesaroundthenewstadiumornearbythetemporarystadium
Inareputationcrisis,thereisnodoubtthattheorganizationtakeahitontheirbrand,and
thereforethefirstcontactinareputationcrisisshouldbetothepublicrelationsmanager.From
there,theentirecrisiscommunicationteamcaninstilltheirperspectivestocreateawellrounded
recovery.Theorganizationsidentitywillbequestionedinmuchofthesecrises,whichcould
alsomeancoremessagesareattacked.Withreputationcrises,oneofthebeststrategiestouse
tocombatthecrisisistomonitormanymediaandsocialmediasourceswheretheLosAngeles
Ramsbrandidentitymaybeinquestionorweakened.TheresidentsofLosAngeles,thefansof
theLosAngelesRams,communitypartners,sponsors,shareholders,government,otherNFL
team/fanbases,andnearbybusinessesareallgoingtobemostconcernedaboutwhatisbeing
donewiththecrisisandhowthecrisisisbeingdone.Inthisparticularcrisis,abrand,animage,
andmoneyareallonthelineandcanbetakenawayiftheappropriateactionsarenottakenin
apropertimeframe.ThemediaandNFLaremostconcernedaboutwhythiscrisistookplace
andpossiblyhowithasimpactedwhotheLosAngelesRamsareasanorganization.TheNFL
needstobeawareofthesituationandseeifthereispotentialactiontheyneedtotake.The
mediaandNFLhavetobeinformationseekers.Tobestcombatareputationalcrisis,apress
conferenceisoftenthebeststeptotaketocontainthedamagesdonetothebrandandits
identity.Ameasurementofourbrandidentitythroughafocusgrouporsurveymayhelpmonitor
andreevaluatehowtohelpthebrandrecovertothestrengthitisexpectedtobeat.
40
CrisisFlowChart
Asitcanbeseen,ourcrisismanagementteamhascreatedacrisisflowchart,whichcan
beusedtotaketheproperstepsinrumorsormisinformationabouttheorganization,knownas
4thand1,anditcanalsobeusedfor4thandLong,whichisconsideredarollingcrisiswhich
willrequiremanyofthestepsoutlinedinourcrisismanagementplan.With4thand1,our
publicrelationsteamwillbeabletohandleanyinaccuraciesandsourcecontacts.Ontheother
hand,whena4thand1turnsintoa4thandLong,theentirecrisismanagementteamis
activatedtohandlethesituationstrategicallyandmonitorlongterm.
41
Likelihood&DamageGraphs
Thefollowinggraphsarecrisisscenariosgraphedinawaytohelpourteam
bettermanageandreacttoeachofthem.Thegraphgradesthelikelihoodthateach
crisiswillhappenandthedamagethatwillbecausedbyeachsituation.Themostlikely
crisisisonthefarleftandgoesdowntotheleastlikelyoneonthefarright.Thedamage
isgradedonascaleof110.Weknowthatisnotpossibletocomeupwitheverycrisis
possiblebutthesegraphsgaveusasolidgraspofsomeofthepossibilitieswecouldbe
facing.Thegraphsarebrokendowninto7differentcategoriesofcrises:Economic,
Personnel,Natural,Information,Reputation,Physical,Criminal.
42
Thisfirstgraphdealswitheconomicproblems.Thefirstandmostlikelyscenario
onthegrapharebribes.ThereisplentyofmoneywithinanNFLorganizationandthere
isalotthatcanbegainedfrompayingoffcertainpeoplesuchasrefereesandplayers.
Thedamagecouldbequitecriticalbutalsorathersmallifitisanisolatedincident,soit
wasgivena7fordamage.Followingbribesisembezzlementwithasimilarscore,than
scamsafrequentoccurrencewithticketsbutwithlimiteddamage.Nextistaxevasion
andthelastthreewhicharemajorplayersonthedamagescale.Fraudcomingfirstwith
ascoreof8,moneylaunderingsecondwithadamageof9andlastlybankruptcy
reachingthehighestlevelof10.Allthreeofthesewouldbeseriousforanorganization.
Theycouldleadtoalossofshareholders,andsponsors,aswellasacomplete
shutdownoftheteamcausingarippleeffectthroughoutthecityandstockholders.
43
Thenextgraphisforpersonnelcrisis.Thereweremanyofthesethatstoodout
aslikelyscenarioswithanorganizationintheNFL.Thefirst,andonetheweratedthe
mostlikelytohappenisdiscrimination.Thiscouldbealmostanythingaspeopleinthis
worldarediscriminatedforthingslikereligion,race,andeverysmallpersonallifestyle
choices.Asateamweimaginedthistobeasituationthatwouldarisebetweenplayers
onthefieldorinthelockerroom.Thiscouldquicklyescalateanddividetheteamup,so
thescorefordamageisan8.Upnextareracialissuesandmoreofaspecific
discrimination.Wesawthisasamoredangerousattackthatcouldfuelaseriousfire
andcauseproblemsforafootballteam.
Thesamecanbesaidforthenext3situations,domestic,child,andsexual
abuse.Theseallgetascoreof9becausehowquicklyandnegativelyteamsupporters
wouldturnontheorganization.Theseareissuesthathaveoccurredandthe
organizationsandindividualsinvolvedwerefacedwithmanyproblems.Currentlythe
NFLallowsfordecentplayerrepresentationsowhileastrikeisnotverylikelyitwould
haveahugeimpactonanNFLteam.Thelasttwoarescenariosdealwithviolence,one
involvingamorelowkeyinhousesituationandtheotherinvolvingabiggereventwith
muchmorevictimsandstockholdersaffected.Thesegetascoreof8and10.
44
Thethirdgraphisfornaturaldisasters.Thebiggestfactorforthesearethe
geographiclocationforthecityofLA.Itisanareaknownforearthquakesandisclose
totheocean.Thereareplentyofpossibilitiesofworsecasescenariosthatmother
naturecanwhipup.Someoftheselikeanearthquake,hurricane,ortsunamicould
causemajorstructuraldamagetoastadiumandeventakelives.Whiletheorganization
wouldnotdirectlyresponsible,lackofsafetyprocedures,protocolorstadiumquality
wouldplacetheteaminadifficultposition,asshownbythehighdamagescoresonthe
majorevents.
45
Thenextgraphisforinformationalcrises.Thesescenariosdealwithprivateor
pertinentinformationandtheillegalorunethicaldealingsorexchangingofthem.The
firstwouldbealeakofinformation.Thiswouldbefromaninsidesourcethatmayhave
misspoketothemediaorwasunawareoftheirchannelusageforcertaininformation.It
couldalsobeanintentionalleakinordertoattacktheteaminassistanceforanother
one.Thisissomethingthatanorganizationcouldrecoverfrominarelativelyquick
fashion.Nextisinformationthatishacked.Thisagainisanoutsideincidentandcould
berecoveredfromwithlittledifficulty.Afterthisisasocialmediacrisis.Thiscouldbean
illtimedscheduledpostoraplayerorotherteammemberchoosingtoventonasocial
46
platform.Thiscouldraisesomeseriousflagsabouttheorganizationandcouldcause
someseriousdamage.
Thelastthreearetheft,tamperingwithotherteaminformation,andthestealing
ofplaycallsorplaybooksfromotherteams.Theseareincidentsthatcanhappenand
dependingonthedetailsandinformationtaken,largeamountsofdamagecouldbe
caused.Teamshavebeeninvolvedwithplaycallandplaybookstealing,itistempting
tacticthatcanruinacoachororganization'sreputation.Tosome,thePatriotswill
foreverbethewinningestcheatersthegamehaseverseenbecauseofthesecrises.
47
The5thgraphisonreputationcrises.Thesehavedirecteffectsonshareholder,
stockholders,andmostpeoplewithsomesortofinterestinvestedintotheteam.The
firstandmostlikelyareaccusations.Thesecancomefrommanydifferentsourceslike
fansofotherteams,otherorganizations,andtrollsouttobringlargeorganizations
down.Providingtheaccusationscanbeprovenfalseandworkedthrough,thedamage
isnottoosevere.Although,thenastiestofaccusationscanbegintoraisequestions
aboutanyone.Nextisrumors.Thesearefalsitiesandliesthatsmearedonthenameof
theteam.Rumors,withpropercommunication,canbecorrectedandrootedoutwith
ease.Thenexttwoarestepupindamage.Thefirstisanegativeimpactona
relationshipwithastakeholder.Thiscandamagetheimageofateamandthework
theydo.
Thirdtolastisanegativeclaimcomingfromadirectstakeholderofthe
organization.Thisisamoredirectattackthatreflectssomethingsimilartothecrisis
outlinedpreviously.Thiscouldsendawaveofconcernthroughotherinvestorsand
shareholders.Secondtolastisillegalmanagementtacticsbeingdoneknowinglybytop
officialswithintheorganization.Thesereflectpoordecisionmaking,lackofjudgement,
ethics,andoverallsoundnessinthestructureofthebrandanditsname.Theseare
dangeroushighriskscenariosthatcausealossoftrustandrespectintheleague.
48
Thesecondtolastcategoryofcrisisarephysicalones.Theseinvolveaproduct
failureoranincidentinvolvingsomethingtangiblesuchasequipment,technology,or
buildingstructureorfacility.Thefirstandmostlikelyscenarioareaccidents.These
couldbemadebyfansorplayers,thatcouldleadtoinjuryordeath.Fansgetcrazyand
wildatgamesandplayercantoowhileoutatclubsintheirfreetime.Accidentscomein
awidevarietyandcouldneedseriousdamagecontrol.Thesecondcrisiswouldbea
productfailurelikeastadiumcollapsingbecauseofinadequateconstruction.TheLA
Ramswillbebuildinganewstadiuminthenearfuture,andwiththisprojectcomes
49
manycornersthatcannotbecut,ordamagewillhappen.Lastlyisateamtechfailure
thatcouldcauseangstamongstplayersandstaffmemberswiththefrontofficeand
possiblythefansiftheteamisunabletoperformatahighquality.
Thelastcategorydealswithhighdamagecrises,andtheyarecriminal.Thefirst
isweapons.Bigorsmall,manypeopleownaweaponandaheatedsituationcan
quicklybecomedeadly,especiallyinthefastpacedcrazedcityofLA.Deathscould
divideteamsandsendanorganizationintoafastdownwardspiral.Secondisdrug
trafficking.Thiscouldbedonebyaplayeroralargeroperationthroughteamofficials.
ThecityofLAandthestateofCaliforniahaveamajorissueswithgangsanddrugs,
50
noneofwhichleadtopositivePRforanNFLteam.Nextisakidnapping.Thiscouldbe
doneforanexchangeofmoneyorasanactofviolenceinconjunctionwith
discrimination.Itcouldbedevastatingtoloseateammembertosuchasenselessactof
recklessness.Nextisterrorism.AnNFLstadiumhasahighlikelihoodofbeingtargeted
becauseofthehighvolumeofpeopletheycanhold.TheLARamswillbeina
particularlyinterestingsituationinregardstothisbecausetheirnewstadiumwillbe
buildveryclosetooneofthebusiestinternationalairportsintheUS,LAX.Lastlyis
animalabusebymeansoffightingandgambling.Thisisanactivitythatbroughtdowna
prominentplayerinMichaelVick.Peopleareconnectedwithanimalsandany
intentionalharmtothemwouldcausedamagetotheorganization.
51
QuestionandAnswerPreparation
Belowisalistofpossiblequestionsthatmaybeaskedandanappropriateresponsetoenhance
ourcoremessages
:
1. Whatprecautionswillyourorganizationtaketomakesurethiscurrentsituationnever
happensagain?
a. Safetyofourfansand/ormembersofourorganizationisoneofourcorevalues.
Wearealwayslookingtocontinuouslyimproveonallourprocedurestoimprove
thesafetyandqualityofourorganization.
2. GiventhattheRamsarecurrentlyundergoingsomanychangesthisyear,howdoyou
planonmaintainingaloyalfanbaseafterthisincident?
a. Wewantourfanstoknowthatwedovaluethem.Wevaluetheiropinions,we
valuetheirsafety,wevaluetheirloyalty.Theirtrustissacredtousandwetake
tremendousprideinprovidingthemwithgreatentertainmentandqualityfootball.
3. HowwillthisaffecttheorganizationfinanciallygivenalltheexpensestheRamsare
currentlyundergoing?
a. Itisnosecretthatourbrandandimagetookahardhitduetothisincidentand
withthatcomesfinanciallossbutwewanttoensurethatwearedoingeverything
inourpowertoexaminewhatwentwrongandimproveourprocedurestoensure
thatthiswillnothappenagain.
b. Itisnosecretthatourbrandandimagetookahardhitduetothisincidentand
withthatcomesfinancialloss,butrightnowwearemoreconcernedaboutthose
affectedandimprovingourcurrentprocesssothatthisdoesnthappenagainin
thefuture.
4. Doyoubelievethatanyoneelsewasinvolvedinthisincident?
a. Fromtheinformationwehaveatthistime,itisourhopethatnobodyelseis
involvedbutwearecurrentlyconductinganinvestigationtogaingreaterclarity
onthesituation.Aswefindanswerswewillupdateyouontheinvestigation.
5. DoyouthinkthisincidentwillaffecttheRamsrebrandingprocess?
a. Itisnosecretthatourbrandandimagetookahardhitduetothisincident,butweare
confidentaswemoveforward,thatbringingaqualityexperiencetotheLosAngeles
areawilladdgreatvaluetothecommunity.
1. Howdoyouthinkinvestorswillreacttothisincident?
52
a. Wevalueallofourinvestors.Whilewecantspeakforourinvestors,theyplaya
significantroleforourorganization.Welookforwardtocontinuouslycollaborating
withourinvestorsinwaystobringagreatexperience,winningatmosphere,and
unforgettablememoriestoourvaluedfanbase.
2. Whatif_______happens,whatwillyoudo?
a. Webelieveincontinuousimprovement.Wearealwayslookingforwaysto
improvehowweoperateonadailybasis.Welookforwardtotakingthe
appropriatesteps.
b. Wewouldneverputanyofourfans,players,oranyofourcommunitymembers
indanger
3. WhatdoyouhavetosaytothosewhobelievetheRamsdiscriminate?
a. Oneofourcorevaluesisprovidingequalopportunitytoeveryone,regardlessof
skin,gender,andsocioeconomicstatus.Welookforwardtoandencourage
everyonetobeapartoftheLosAngelesRamsfamily.
4. Canyouassurethesafetyofyourfansandstadiumwhenthereisanaturaldisaster?
a. Wevaluethesafetyofourfans.Wealsohaveskilled,welltrainedsecurityand
otherformsoflawenforcementthatwepartnerwithtoensurethatanyoneone
ontheRamspremisesfeelssafe.Withthatbeingsaidwedonotliketomake
certaintiesbutstrivetolessenthepossibilityofanyharmtoourfans.
b. Safetywasournumberoneprioritywhenitcametoselectingbuildingplansfor
ourstadium.Weareconfidentinourcontractorsandtheirstrategicarchitectural
decisions.Thereisnopriceyoucanplaceonthesafetyofourfansand
community.
5. Howyoucanyouguaranteethesafetyofyourfansintheeventofaterroristattack?
a. Wevaluethesafetyofourfans.Wealsohaveskilled,welltrainedsecurityand
otherformsoflawenforcementthatwepartnerwithtoensurethatanyoneone
ontheRamspremisesfeelssafe.Webelievetheprocesswehaveinplacewill
providethesafestexperienceintheNFLandarealwayslookingforwaysto
improveoursafety.
53
Background
TheLosAngelesRams,likeotherNFLplayersandteams,havetraveledfromlocationto
locationmultipletimessinceitsexistence.TheLosAngelesRambeganitsexistenceintheNFL
onFebruary13,1937inClevelandwhereHomerMarshmanandAssociatesweregiventhegrant
bytheNationalFootballLeague.TheRamsspentthepreviousseasonintheAmericanFootball
League.
In1946,theLosAngelesRams,undertheownershipofDanReeves,relocatedthe
franchisetoLosAngeles,wheretheRamscalledLosAngeleshomefor48years.Atthe
conclusionofthe1994season,undertheownershipofGeorgiaFrontiere,theLosAngelesRams
movedtoSt.Louis,Missouri.TheLosAngelesRamscalledSt.Louishomeuntiltheconclusion
ofthe20152016NFLseason
Today,theLosAngelesRamsoperateunderthepowerofStanKroenke.Underthe
supervisionofKroenke,theteamrelocatedbacktoLosAngelesattheconclusionofthe
20152016NFLseason.
Nomatterthelocationandnomatterwhoisincharge,theLosAngelesRamshave
providedarichhistoryofentertainmenttomultiplefanbasesandmemoriesthatwillsurely
neverbeforgotten.Today,theLosAngelesRamsareoneofthebiggestfootballmarketsinthe
countryandaredevotedtobringingawinningatmospheretoitsfansandtheresidentsofLos
AngeleswiththeaspirationsofbringingtheLombardiTrophybacktoLosAngeles.
54
FactSheet
TheLosAngelesRamsbeganitscareerintheNFLastheClevelandRamsonFebruary
13,1937afterbeingapartoftheAmericanFootballLeaguein1936
TheLosAngelesRamsbecamethe10thteamintheNationalFootballLeaguesatthe
beginningofthe1937season
TheLosAngelesRamsrelocatedfromClevelandtoLosAngelesin1946
TheLosAngelesRamsmovedfromLosAngelestoSt.Louisattheendofthe1994
season.
TheLosAngelesRamsmovedfromSt.LouisbacktoLosAngelesattheendofthe2015
NFLseason
TheRamshavewonNFLchampionshipsin1945and1951,andtheSuperBowlin1999
ThecurrentowneroftheLosAngelesRamsisStanKroenke
TheLosAngelesRamscurrentlyaremembersoftheNFCWestconferencewiththe
ArizonaCardinals,SeattleSeahawks,andtheSanFrancisco49ers
TheRamswillhavetheirnewstadiuminInglewood,Californiaforthestartofthe2019
season,withanestimatedcostof$2.6billionandanestimatedcapacityof80,000seats
withthepossibilityofamaxcapacityof100,000seats
Untilthenewstadiumiscompleted,theRamswillplayattheL.A.MemorialColiseum
TheteamisalsoencouragingfellowNFLmembersOaklandRaidersandSanDiego
Chargerstojointheminthenewstadiumwhentheircurrentcontractsexpire
OwnerStanKroenkehasanestimatedworthof$7.4billion
55
WorksCited
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19,2016,from
http://www.therams.com/newsandevents/article1/201617LosAngelesRamsCheerl
eadersAnnounced/43f12e161f9b43b983abfcc8ba478bd7
Bonsignore,V.(2016).ConstructiononLARamsstadiumdelayedduetoElNino.
RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/sports/20160224/constructiononlaramsstadiumd
elayedduetoelnino
CaliforniaOfficials.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://elections.mytimetovote.com/elected_officials/california.html
DotheRamsneedtomakeabigsplashatQBinLA?(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,
from
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nflhq/0ap3000000650811/DotheRamsneedtomakeabig
splashatQBinLA
HistoryoftheLosAngelesRams.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch13,2016,from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Los_Angeles_Rams
LosAngelesRams2016SalaryCap.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/losangelesrams/cap
LosAngelesSportsNews,SportsScores:LosAngelesDailyNews.(n.d.).Retrieved
April19,2016,from
http://www.dailynews.com/sports
LosAngelesRams'stadiumtobeworld'smostexpensive.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,
2016,from
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/19/architecture/newnflstadiumlosangeles/
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LosAngelesSportsNews,SportsScores:LosAngelesDailyNews.(n.d.).Retrieved
April19,2016,from
http://www.dailynews.com/sports
LosAngelesRams'stadiumtobeworld'smostexpensive.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,
2016,from
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/19/architecture/newnflstadiumlosangeles/
(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/laspramsdemoff20160322story.html
(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
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l
(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.latimes.com/sports/
P.,&Walker,A.(2016).TheBigProblemWithLA'sNewFootballStadium.Retrieved
April19,2016,from
http://gizmodo.com/thebigproblemwithlasnewfootballstadium1757924206
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/03/25/michaelsamelaboratesonreportofra
mshardknocksdeal/
Sports,A.P.(2016).LosAngelesRamstobefeaturedonHBO's'HardKnocks'
RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2016/03/23/losangelesramshardknock
shbo/82158290/
StateGovernment.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.ca.gov/About/Government/State/
TheSt.LouisRamsCompleteCheatingHistory.(2015).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://yourteamcheats.com/STL#Headsetgate1980
StateGovernment.(n.d.).RetrievedApril19,2016,from
http://www.ca.gov/About/Government/State/
57
AppendixA100Facts
1.
WhentheRamsbecamethefirstNFLfranchiseinLosAngeles,oneoftheconditionsin
theirleasetoplayintheLosAngelesColiseumwastointegratetheteamwithatleastone
AfricanAmericanplayer.
2.
Theclubfoundtheperfectoptionfromtheirnewcity,andsignedrunningbackKenny
WashingtonwhohadstarredatUCLAonMarch21,1946.
3.
ItdidnttakelongforL.A.towinanNFLChampionshiponcetheclubhadsettledin
California.BeforetheSuperBowlcameintoexistenceinthelate1960s,theRamsplayedin
threeconsecutiveNFLChampionshipgamesforthe1949,1950,and1951seasons.
4.
ThoughLosAngelescameawayemptyhandedagainstthePhiladelphiaEaglesin49
andtheClevelandBrownsin50,theclubwouldflipthescriptin51.
5.
TheRamsbeattheBrownsinachampionshipgamerematch,withNormVanBrocklin
connectingwithTomFearsona73yardpassinthefourthquartertogoupbythegamewinning
scoreof2417.
6.
WhilethenameTheFearsomeFoursomehasbeenusedtodescribeafewdefensive
lines,itbecamethemostpopularfromthemeninhorns.BetweenRoseyGrier,LamarLundy,
DavidDeaconJones,andMerlinOlsen,theRamsbecameadominantdefensivefront.While
thesackwasnotanofficialstatuntil1982,JoneshadoneofthegreatestrunsinNFLhistory,
averagingjustover20sacksaseasonfrom19641968.
7.
Afewplayersonthelinechanged,buttheresultsremainedthesameinthe70s.Olsen
andthenJackYoungbloodhelpedleadadefensivelinethatwonsevenconsecutivedivisiontitles
from1973to1979.
8.
Jones(159.5),Youngblood(151.5),andOlsen(94)remainatopthealltimefranchiselist
insacks.
9.
In1979,theRamswontheirseventhconsecutiveNFCWesttitleenroutetotheirfirst
SuperBowlappearance.
58
10.
LosAngeleswas56whenquarterbackVinceFerragamomadehisfirststartofthe
seasonforaMondayNightFootballmatchupagainsttheAtlantaFalconsonNov.19.
11.
TheRamswonthatcontest2014andwouldwintheirnextthreegamesaswell,
clinchingthedivisionwitha3413victoryoverAtlantaonDec.9.
12.
Intheplayoffs,FerragamothrewthreetouchdownpassesasLosAngelesbeatthe
CowboysinDallasinthedivisionalround,2119.BillyWaddycaughta50yardscoringstrike
inthefourthquarter,puttingtheRamsupbythefinalscore.
13.
LosAngelesthenshutouttheTampaBayBuccaneersintheNFCChampionshipgame,
90.FrankCorralconnectedonthreefieldgoalsandtheRamsdefenseheldtheBucstojust
sevenfirstdownsinasuffocatingdefensiveperformance.
14.
ThoughtheRamswouldfalltotheSteelersinSuperBowlXIV,the1979seasonstands
asoneofthebestinfranchisehistory.
15.
Asoneofthebestrunningbacksinleaguehistory,Dickersondeservesaspotallhisown.
InductedintotheProFootballHallofFamein1999,DickersonsfirstfouryearsasaRamwere
transcendent.AsLosAngelesNo.2overallpickin1983,heburstontothesceneasarookie,
rushingforaleagueleading1,808yardsandamassingatotalof2,212yardsfromscrimmage.
16.
DickersonthensettheNFLssingleseasonrushingrecordwith2,105yardsin1984,
averaging131.6yardsrushingpergame.Therunningbackonceagainledtheleagueinrushing
in1986,amassing1,821yardson404carries.
17.
Inall,Dickersonrushedfor7,245yardsforLosAngelesfrom19831987afranchise
recordthatstoodfortwodecades.
18.
TheRamsfranchisewasfoundedin1936asthe
ClevelandRams
intheshortlived
secondAmericanFootballLeague
beforejoiningtheNFLthenextyear.
19.
In1946,thefranchisemovedto
LosAngeles
.TheRamsfranchiseremainedinthe
metro
area
until1994,whentheymovedto
St.Louis
,andwereknownasthe
St.LouisRams
from1995
to2015.
20.
TheRamsfranchisereturnedtoLosAngelesin2016.
59
21.
OnJanuary12,1946,
DanReeves
wasdeniedarequestbytheother
NationalFootball
League
(NFL)ownerstomovehisteam,the
ClevelandRams
to
LosAngeles
andthe
then103,000seat
LosAngelesMemorialColiseum
.
22.
DanielFarrell"Dan"Reeves(June30,1912April15,1971)wasanAmericansports
entrepreneur,bestknownastheownerofthe
NationalFootballLeague's
Rams
franchisefrom
1941
tohisdeathin
1971
.HewasalsothefirstNFLownertosignan
AfricanAmerican
player
inthepost
WorldWarII
era,inkingdealswithhalfback
KennyWashington
andend
Woody
Strode
in1946,aswellasbeingthefirsttoemployafulltimescoutingstaff.
23.
ThesigningofWashingtoncaused"allhelltobreakloose"amongtheownersoftheNFL
franchises.
24.
ReevesthreatenedtoendhisrelationshipwiththeNFLandgetoutoftheprofessional
footballbusinessaltogetherunlesstheRamstransfertoLosAngeleswaspermitted
25.
Asettlementwasreachedand,asaresult,ReeveswasallowedtomovehisteamtoLos
Angeles.Consequently,theNFLbecamethefirstprofessionalcoasttocoastsportsentertainment
industry.
26.
Duringthe1951Championshipseason,Hirschpostedathenstunning1,495receiving
yardswith17touchdowns.Thepopularityofthiswideopenoffenseenabledthe
LosAngeles
Rams
tobecomethefirstprofootballteamtohavealltheirgamestelevisedin
1950
.
27.
The1960sweredefinedbytheRamsgreatdefensivelineof
RoseyGrier
,
MerlinOlsen
,
DeaconJones
,and
LamarLundy
,dubbedthe"
FearsomeFoursome
."
28.
Itwasthisgroupofplayerswhorestoredtheonfieldlusterofthefranchisein
1967
when
theRamsreached(butlost)theconferencechampionshipunderlegendarycoach
GeorgeAllen
.
29.
That
1967squad
wouldbecomethefirstNFLteamtosurpassonemillionspectatorsina
season,afeatthe
Rams
wouldrepeatthe
followingyear
.Ineachofthosetwoyears,theL.A.
Ramsdrewroughlydoublethenumberoffansthatcouldbeaccommodatedbytheircurrent
stadiumforafullseason.
30.
GeorgeAllenledtheRamsfrom1966to1970andintroducedmanyinnovations,
includingthehiringofayoung
DickVermeil
asoneofthefirst
specialteams
coaches.
60
31.
ThoughAllenwouldenjoyfivestraightwinningseasonsandwintwodivisionaltitlesin
histimewiththeRamsheneverwonaplayoffgamewiththeteam,losingin1967to
GreenBay
287andin
1969
2320to
Minnesota
.Allenwouldleaveafterthe1970seasontotakethehead
coachingjobfortheWashingtonRedskins.
32.
TheRams'opponentintheirfirst
SuperBowl
wasthedefendingchampion
Pittsburgh
Steelers
leadingathalftime1310andattheendofthethirdquarter1917.
33.
Intheend,however,theSteelersfinallyassertedthemselves,scoringtwotouchdownsin
the4thquarterandcompletelyshuttingdowntheRamsoffensetowintheirfourthSuperBowl,
3119.
34.
Priortothe
1979NFLseason
,ownerCarrollRosenbloomdiedinadrowningaccident,
andhiswidow,
GeorgiaFrontiere
,inherited70percentownershipoftheteam.Frontierethen
firedstepsonSteveRosenbloomandassumedtotalcontrolofRamsoperations.
35.
AshadbeenplannedpriortoRosenbloom'sdeath,theRamsmovedfromtheirlongtime
homeattheColiseumto
AnaheimStadium
innearby
OrangeCounty
in1980.
36.
Thereasonforthemovewastwofold.First,theNFL's
blackoutrule
forbadegamesfrom
beingshownonlocaltelevisioniftheydidnotselloutwithin72hoursoftheopeningkickoff.
37.
AstheLosAngelesMemorialColiseumseated92,604atthetime,itwasrarelypossible
tosellthatmanyticketsevenintheRams'bestyears,andsomostRamshomegameswere
blackedout.
38.
Asaresult,manyaffluentnewsuburbswerebuiltintheLosAngelesarea.Anaheim
Stadiumwasoriginallybuiltin1966tobethehomeofthe
CaliforniaAngels
.Toaccommodate
theRams'move,theballparkwasreconfiguredandenclosedtoaccommodateacapacityof
69,008inthefootballconfiguration.Withtheirnew,smallerhome,theRamshadnoproblem
sellingoutgames.
39.
In
1982
,the
OaklandRaiders
movedtoLosAngelesandtookupresidenceintheLos
AngelesMemorialColiseum.ThecombinedeffectofthesetwomoveswastodividetheRams'
traditionalfanbaseintwo.
40.
Thiswascoupledwiththeearly1980sbeingrebuildingyearsfortheclub,whilethe
Raiders
werewinnersof
SuperBowlXVIII
inthe
1983season
.Meanwhile,the
LosAngeles
61
Lakers
won
championships
in
1980
and
1982
enroutetowinningfivetitlesinthatdecade,the
LosAngelesDodgers
wonthe
WorldSeries
in
1981
and
1988
,andeventhe
LosAngelesKings
madeadeeprunintheplayoffsin1982.Asaresult,theRamsdeclinedsharplyinpopularity
duringthe1980s.
41.
WhileinSt.Louis(19952015),theRamsplayedtheirfirstfewhomegamesat
Busch
MemorialStadium
beforetheTransWorldDome(nowknownasthe
EdwardJonesDome
)was
completedduringthemiddleofthe1995season.
42.
Aperiodofsuccessoccurredbetween1999to2004whentheyqualifiedfortheplayoffs
infiveoutofthosesixseasons,includingawinin
SuperBowlXXXIV
againstthe
Tennessee
Titans
,andalosstothe
NewEnglandPatriots
in
SuperBowlXXXVI
.Otherthanthatperiodof
success,theSt.LouisRamsrepeatedlysufferedlosingseasons.
43.
2016:ReturntoLosAngeles:OnJanuary31,2014,boththe
LosAngelesTimes
andthe
St.LouisPostDispatch
reportedthatRamsownerStanKroenkehadpurchasedapproximately
60acresoflandadjacenttothe
Forum
in
Inglewood,California
.
44.
Thepurchasepricewasrumoredtohavebeenbetween$90millionand$100million.
CommissionerRogerGoodellrepresentedthatMr.Kroenkeinformedtheleagueofthepurchase.
45.
AsanNFLowner,anypurchaseoflandinwhichapotentialstadiumcouldbebuiltmust
bedisclosedtotheleague.KroenkesubsequentlyannouncedplanstobuildanNFLstadiumon
thesite,inconnectionwiththeownersoftheadjacent238acreHollywoodParksite,
StockbridgeCapitalGroup.
46.
ThisdevelopmenthasfurtherfueledrumorsthattheRamsintendtoreturnits
managementandfootballoperationstoSouthernCalifornia.Thelandwasinitiallytargetedfora
WalmartSupercenterbut
Walmart
couldnotgetthenecessarypermitstobuildit.
47.
Kroenkeismarriedto
AnnWaltonKroenke
whoisamemberofthe
Waltonfamily
and
manyofKroenke'srealestatedealshaveinvolvedWalmartproperties.
62
48.
OnJanuary5,2015,the
LosAngelesTimes
reportedthatStanKroenkeandStockbridge
CapitalGrouparepartneringupindevelopinganewNFLstadiumonthe
Inglewood
property
ownedbyKroenke.
49.
Theprojectwillincludeastadiumof80,000seatsandaperformancevenueof6,000
seatswhilereconfiguringthepreviouslyapproved
HollywoodPark
planforupto890,000square
feetofretail,780,000squarefeetofofficespace,2,500newresidentialunits,a300roomhotel
and25acresofpublicparks,playgrounds,openspaceandpedestrianandbicycleaccess.The
stadiumwouldlikelybereadyby2018.
50.
Inlieuofthis,St.Louiscounteredwith
astadiumplanforthenorthriverfrontareaof
downtown
,withthehopeofkeepingtheRamsinthecity.
51.
OnFebruary24,2015,theInglewoodCityCouncilapprovedthestadiumplanandthe
initiativewithconstructiononthestadiumplannedtobegininDecember2015.OnDecember
21,2015,ConstructionwasofficiallyunderwayforthestadiumontheHollywoodParksite.
52.
TheownersapprovedtheRams'planforastadiuminInglewood,which
currentlyis
estimatedat$1.9billion
.
53.
Theplan,whichwasannouncedbyRamsownerStanKroenkeayearago,includesthe
optionofhousingasecondteamwhichrightnowwouldbetheChargers,shouldtheydecideto
go.Thestadiumwouldbepartofanentertainment,retailandresidentialcomplex.
54.
LosAngeleswillwelcomethereturnofNFLfootballwiththeconstructionofanew
80,000seatstadiumcomplexand"NFLDisneyWorld,"expectedtobecometheworld'smost
expensivesportsarena.
55.
Thedevelopmenthasanestimatedcostof$2.6billionmorethan$1billionmorethan
NewJersey'sMetLifeStadium,currentlytheleague'smostcostlyvenue.
56.
RamsownerandpropertydeveloperStanKroenke,whohasanestimatedpersonalnet
worthof$7.4billion,iscreditedwithspearheadingthereturnofNFLfootballtothecountry's
secondlargestcity.
63
57.
AccordingtoRamsgeneralmanagerLesSnead,appearingontheNFLNetworkon
Mondaymorninginadvanceofthisweek'sleaguemeeting,therewillbesomecarryoverfrom
theSTLdays.
58.
"
CaseKeenum
isgoingtobeourstarteratthebeginningoftheseason."LesSnead,
RamsGMon
@nflnetwork
/ErinCoscarelli(@erincoscarelli)
March21,2016
59.
KevinDemoff,theRams'executivevicepresidentoffootballoperations,saidMonday
thattheteamdoesnotplantochangeuniformsuntilthe2019season.
60.
TheRamshadblueandwhiteuniformsinthemid1960sandthenchangedtoblue,
yellowandwhiteinthe'70s.TheSt.LouisRamscolorswereblue,goldandwhite.
61
The
NFL
requiresteamstosubmitpermissiontooverhauluniformsbetweenJanuaryand
Marchofagivenyearforimplementationtwoyearsafterthat,Demoffsaid.
62.
TheRams'uniformissuewillbeofficiallydiscussedforthefirsttimeTuesdayattheNFL
owners'meetings.ButDemoffsaidtheteamwouldnotapplyforachangeuntil2017,puttingit
ontrackforimplementationin2019
63.
CoachJeffFisher,whooversawtheHoustonOilers'movetoTennesseeinthe1990s,has
experiencedealingwithtemporaryquarters.
64.
RamsSocialMedia
64
65.
PlayingintheColiseum,beforetheRams'movewasapprovedbyNFLownersin
January.TheRamsandUSChave"bothkindoftweaked"thetermsheet,but"therehavebeen
nomaterialchangestoit,"Demoffsaid.
66.
Salaryinfo.
66.
TheRamshavesaidtheytookmorethan56,000depositsforseasonticketsatthe
Coliseum,withdepositorsentitledtorequestamaximumofeightseats.DemoffsaidtheRams
hopedtobeginprocessingrequestsprioritizedintheordertheywerereceivedthefirst
weekinApril.
67.
Spendingonplayersonteam:breakdownbyposition
65
68.
TheRamswilllaunchWelcomeHomeRams.com.Thesitewillallowfanstopaya$100
refundabledeposittoaddtheirnamestoatemporarystadiumticketwaitlist.Althoughthatwill
notguaranteetherighttobuyseasontickets,membersofthewaitlistwillhavepriorityoverthe
generalpublicandwillbeassignedaprioritygroupbasedonwhenthedepositwasreceived.
Eachaccountholdercanpurchaseeightseasontickets.
69.
Salesarescheduledtostartinthespring.Ticketpricinghasyettobedetermined.
70.
"TheticketpricesstartingoffthisyearwillbeverycomparabletowhatwehadinSt.
Louis,"Demoffsaid.SeasonticketpricesperseatinSt.Louisrangedfrom$300to$1,750for
the2015season.
71.
Peoplewhopurchaseseasonticketsinthetemporarystadiumwillbegivenpriorityto
evaluateseatoptionsinthenewInglewoodstadiumbeforethegeneralpublic.
72.
OldestformerLARamtalksinarticle:Coolhistoricalarticle
BenAgajanian,the
oldestlivingLosAngelesRamat96,getsarealkickoutoftheirreturntoL.A.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/laspramsagajanianplaschke20160117column.html
73.
TeamArrestrecords:http://nflarrests.pointafter.com/d/a/St.LouisRams
74.
LARamsStadiumControversies
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/sports/football/inlosangelesstadiumsbattleheatsup.html
?_r=0
75.
TheRamsstatedintheirpropositiontomovetoLAthat:Onerecentstudyreportsthat
St.Louisranks490outof515U.S.citiesand61stamongthe64largestU.S.citiesineconomic
growthinrecentyears.
66
76.
ThatsamestudyreportedthatSt.Louishadthelowestrateofpopulationgrowthofany
majorU.S.cityfrom2008to2014registeringalossof1.74percentofitscitizenswhilemost
citiesregisteredgains.
77.
PEDSgate(6xsince1989)78.
78.
Performanceenhancingdrugs(PEDs)areusedbyplayerstoillegallyimproveathletic
performanceabovewhatlegaltrainingandpreparationcando.
79.
Playerswhoillegallyimprovetheirperformanceunfairlypenalizeplayerswhofollowthe
rules.Theynotonlyputthoseplayersatriskforphysicalinjury,buttheyalsoaffecttheir
economiclivelihoodbyimpactingtheirperceivedvalueandtheirabilitytosecure
appropriatelyvaluedplayingcontracts.
80.
Alldocumentedinfractionsfrom1960topresent:
TE
VernonKirk
(1989)
LB
ScottShanle
(2003)
WR
AustinPettis
(2011)
TE
BrodyEldridge
(2012)
LB
JoLonnDunbar
(2013)
WR
StedmanBailey
(2014)
VICTIM:Theentireleague
PUNISHED?Yes
81.
PUNISHMENT:Eachplayerwassuspendedforfourgamesforviolatingtheleague's
performanceenhancingdrugpolicy.Bailey'spenaltywas
overturned
bytheNFL'snew2014
drugpolicy.
82.
Walkthroughgate(2002):SUMMARY:Some
saltiermembers
ofthe2001Ramsliketo
blame
phantomPatriotsspying
asthereasontheylostthe2001SuperBowl,butthe
NewYork
Timesreported
onFebruary2,2002thattheRamsmayhavespiedonthePatriotsaswell.
83.
Accordingtothepaper:"Halfwaythroughpractice,Patriots'linebackerscoachPepper
Johnsonnoticedsomethinginathirdfloorwindowofahousenexttothefield.Clubandleague
67
officialssaidatelescopewasclearlyvisibleinthewindow,accordingtoapoolreport,andthat
15minuteslater,apersonappearedatthewindow,andthenvanished.Officialsscannedthe
windowwithbinoculars,butthepersonneverreturned."
84.
PUNISHMENT:There'snowaytoknowifthetelescopebelongedtoanavidfanora
partisanoftheRams,sonopunishmentisapplied.Seemsalittleshady,though.
85.
Bountygate:GreggWilliams,defensivecoordinatorfortheSaintandwasinvolvedin
Bountygatein2012andwassuspendedforayear.Heisnowthedefensivecoordinatorforthe
LARams.
86.
NFLMakesSecretDealwithRamstoDraftGayFootballPlayer:
HowardBalzer
87.
SourcessayNFLagreednottohaveRamsonHardKnocksin2014iftheydrafted
MichaelSam.
88.
RamsrunningbackTreMasonwasreportedlytakenintocustodySaturdayin
Hollywood,Floridaandarrestedonsuspicionofresistingarrest,marijuanapossession,reckless
drivingandnotregisteringhiscar.
89.
ConstructiononLARamsstadiumdelayedduetoElNino
90.
Sportseconomistsarequicktopointoutthatthejobsandprojectedrevenuesassociated
withbuildingandoperatinganewstadiumareofteninflated.
91.
Newstadiumisexpectedtobeupandrunningintimeforthe2019footballseason.
92.
Ramsowner
StanKroenke
teamedupwith
StockbridgeCapitalGroup
tocraftthe
stadiumplan,whichincludestheoptionofhousingasecondteam.
93.
TheplanincludesaoneyearoptionfortheSanDiegoChargerstojoinasthesecond
teaminLosAngeles.
94.
TheRamscurrentheadcoachisJeffFisher.
95.
TheRamshadthe#1pickintheNFLDraftin2010anddraftedSamBradfordfrom
Oklahoma.
96.
TheLosAngelesRamsreceivedmorethan45,000depositsforseasonticketsduringthe
firsttwodaystheycouldbemade.
68
97.
TheLosAngelesRamsweredefeatedinSuperBowl36totheNewEnglandPatriots
2017.
98.
InSt.Louis,however,asecondlawsuithasbeenfiledovertheRamsmovetoLos
Angeles,thistimebyholdersofpersonalseatlicenseswhosaytheyshouldretaintheirrightto
seatlicensesandseasonticketsinCalifornia.(Jan.2016)
99.
ThemayorofLosAngeleswantstheRamstohostSuperBowl55.
100.
MayorEricGarcettihasbeenalifelongRamsfans.